YOKED WITH JESUS

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28–30 NIV)

At our home in Door County, Wisconsin we have a yoke that my great-grandfather used on his farm in the late 1800’s. Seeing that yoke I have always been curious about Jesus’s use of that term in Matthew 11. There’s a reason Jesus doesn’t simply say, “Come to Me and rest.” He goes further. He says, “Take My yoke upon you… and you will find rest for your souls.”

A yoke is an instrument of work, not leisure. It joins two animals together so they move in the same direction, at the same pace, sharing the same load. At first glance, it seems strange -- why would Jesus offer rest by giving us a yoke?

Because His yoke is not a burden. His yoke is a relationship.

To be yoked to Christ means we no longer walk alone. We no longer pull the weight of life by ourselves. We no longer guess which direction to go or strain to keep up. When we take His yoke, we step into a life where He sets the pace, He bears the weight, and He guides the way.

When we are yoked to Him our striving becomes steady, because His strength steadies us. Our direction becomes clear, because His wisdom leads us. Our burdens become lighter, because His shoulders carry what ours cannot. Our souls find rest, not because life is easy, but because He is near.

Jesus doesn’t promise a life without burdens. He promises a life without weariness. A life where we move in step with the One who is gentle, humble, patient, and strong. A life where we learn from Him -- not by listening from afar, but by walking right beside Him.

Seeing my great-grandfather’s yoke is a good reminder to me to be yoked with Christ. And today, Jesus invites you again: Come. Take My yoke. Walk with Me. Let Me carry what you cannot.  In His presence even the heaviest loads become light.

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry™

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INTERTWINED WITH GOD

“But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”  (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV)

The Hebrew language has almost 20 words for “wait” in the Old Testament (NASB). Often we think in terms of trust, hope, look for, expect. Another one of those meanings is to be intertwined. Think in terms of a three-legged race. You pair up with your partner, then tie one of your legs with one of your partner’s. Once you are intertwined, then you have to get in sync with one another to run the race.

I like that image. When you partner with God you are intertwined. When He pauses, you pause. When He walks, you walk. When He runs, you run. And it’s those who wait, who intertwine, who tie their life with God’s, who renew their strength.  

Another way to think of it is the image Jesus used in Matthew 11:28-30 – a yoke. Jesus’ invitation to take His yoke was an invitation to experience the grace of God. It was an invitation to participate in the rest Jesus would bring us. Jesus invites those who are burdened by the yoke of the law, other religions, or the challenges of life to come to Him, and He would give them rest. And then He tells us that when we take up His yoke, become intertwined with Him, we will find rest for our souls. 

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry

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COME TO ME

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  (Matthew 11:28-29 NIV)

Jesus speaks to those like me (and you?) who are weary and burdened by the stresses of life, whether self-imposed or unavoidable. Come. One simple action is all that is needed. An entreaty. An invitation. Come. Sit in a nest of rest -- near My altar. It’s what I want for you. 

-- Elisa Morgan

YOKED TO CHRIST

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV).

The physical yoke is not a part of the daily life of most of us, but we can call up the mental rural image of two beasts of burden, yoked together, pulling their common load. The yoke is a wooden structure that is designed to compel the two animals to work as a team. When they cooperate with each other, the task is easier for both; but if one holds back or tries to turn in a different direction, the yoke places undue pressure on its neck. Obviously, the burden is easier and lighter when they work together.

So it is also with our faith. To accept Jesus as Lord and Savior is like being yoked to Him. In that union of faith, we listen to our Lord. We learn by being exposed to what the teacher is teaching. We show that we have learned from the Master Teacher when we take His instructions for life and put them into practice. This all begins when we profess our willingness to walk with and be yoked to Jesus. 

-- Rev. Kenneth A. Mortonson in “What Do You See?” 

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OUR BURDEN-BEARING SAVIOR

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV)

The famous poem “Footprints” reminds us that in life’s most difficult seasons, Jesus does not abandon us; rather, at the times we are unable to go on, He picks us up and carries us.

We are amazed by the picture of a burden-bearing Savior. He took our sins upon Himself so that we might have freedom. He takes up our shame so that we are no longer hindered by it. What other burdens have never landed on our shoulders because He would not allow it? What other burdens has He taken upon Himself rather than letting them fall to us?

Whatever is loading you down today, you need to carry it no longer. Jesus will scoop the weight in one arm and put His other arm around your tired shoulders. Gently He’ll remind you that it is for these very things that He sacrificed His life.

Today, feel Him removing the weight of burden and holding you near. 

-- From “Hello God… It’s Me: 365 Day Devotional Journal”

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